WBBL Championship
London Lions 87-48 B Braun Sheffield Hatters (27-17, 56-27, 78-37)
(Lions: Snytsina/Vorpahl, 15; Battle/Beckford-Norton, 11; Murray, 10 – Hatters: Fairley/Shaw, 12; Niang, 8; Murphy, 6)
WBBL Championship
Newcastle Eagles 72-67 Durham Palatinates (16-17, 33-34, 47-49)
(Eagles: Lewis, 15; Clasen, 14; Justinak, 12 – Palatinates: Hendershot, 18; Wayne, 15; Ottewill-Soulsby)
WBBL Championship
Sevenoaks Suns 68-54 Oaklands Wolves (19-17, 40-29, 55-45)
(Suns: Hodges, 18; Monakana, 16; Bradshaw, 14 – Wolves: George, 17; Smith, 14; Sarson, 7)
London Lions triumphed over B Braun Sheffield Hatters with a commanding 87-48 win at the Copper Box Arena, improving to 14-1 for the season.
The anticipated contest saw London’s Leslie Vorpahl produce a near triple-double performance, delivering season-highs across the board with 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The Lions demonstrated their confidence from the start of the game, distributing the ball unselfishly, forcing the Hatters to move on defence.
The Lions found their rhythm and put point on the board with a picturesque cross-court pass from Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan, landing in the palms of Vorpahl for a left-handed finish.
London continued to dominate with a pair of triples from the Belarusian sharpshooter, Katarina Snytsina, who boasts a 42.6% accuracy rate from beyond the arc this season.
However, the Hatters refused to back down, with Lena Niang and Charli Wroe sinking consecutive buckets and a deep three-pointer to slice the Lions’ lead to just two points.
London’s Ty Battle and Snytsina orchestrated a well-timed pick-and-roll, leaving Battle wide open for a layup to keep the home side on top.
The Hatters hit back, with Hannah Shaw battling fiercely on the offensive boards to draw a nice layup in the closing minutes.
Sheffield turnovers allowed the Lions to extend their lead, finishing the opening quarter ahead by double figures, 27-17.
Snystina continued her shooting clinic in the second quarter, remaining perfect from three-point range going 4/4.
The Hatters managed to keep the Lions’ attack relatively quiet for a few minutes before Nicolette Fairley hit an old-school fadeaway jumper from the elbow.
However, the Lions’ Shanice Beckford-Norton soon erupted on offence, collecting points from outside and inside the perimeter.
Herbert-Harrigan added to the Lions’ fortunes with another air delivery to Vorpahl for a breakaway layup, extending the home lead to 16 points.
The Lions put together a 13-2 run to round up the first half, culminating with a Chantel Charles and-one play to go up 56-27.
Hatters made a good start out of the halftime break, scoring six quick points as they attempted the comeback.
However, the Lions regained control with a no-look pass from Vorpahl to Battle resulting in a score under the basket.
Shequila Joseph managed to get through traffic before dumping off to an open Battle, who finished with ease underneath, once again.
The Lions went on an 18-0 run, before Fairley broke the scoring drought for the Hatters with a mid-range jump shot.
But the Lions’ relentless offence and dominant defence proved too much for the Hatters to handle.
The Lions blew up to a massive 39-point advantage, in the fourth leaving the Hatters trailing as the final buzzer sounded.
Every Lions player featured on the scoresheet, capping off a dominant performance and securing their 14th win of the season.
In a thrilling encounter at Vertu Motors Arena, the Newcastle Eagles defeated local rivals Durham Palatinates 72-67 in a closely contested matchup.
The Eagles were looking to build on their recent good form, while the Palatinates continue to search for a playoff spot.
Antoinette Lewis was the star for the Eagles, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, earning her the game’s MVP honours.Â
Meanwhile, Elle Hendershot put up a strong performance for the Palatinates, registering 18 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
The game got off to an energetic start, with guard Maggie Justinak scoring an elbow jumper for the Eagles in the opening seconds of play.
Marina Fernandez Pardo added two more points for the Eagles, helping herself to a midrange jumpshot.
The Eagles’ initial zone defence caused problems for Durham.
Meanwhile, Justinak scored seven early points, as well as providing scoring opportunities for her teammates.
Inma Bautista got the Palatinates on the scoreboard with a corner three-pointer, with a timely dime from Katie Bennett.
Despite the Eagles’ early dominance, the Palatinates kept the gap slim, with Hendershot scoring efficiently inside the key.
Lewis produced crucial points in response, however, as Abigail Lowe intercepted a Durham pass perfectly to feed the efficient Lewis beneath the basket for two.
Durham sealed the first quarter by a single point with a nice pump fake and score courtesy of Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby, on her way to another double-figure scoring performance for the Palatinates.
A big three-pointer from Courtney Clasen off the bench got the Eagles fans roaring to begin the second period, while a Fernandez Pardo layup provided the Eagles with the lead once again.
Clasen chalked a second corner three-pointer, extending the Eagles’ lead.
However, a hot streak from Jessica Wayne, who found her range from deep, and Hendershot, who tore up the Newcastle defence inside, allowed Durham to take back control of the ball game.
A dazzling exchange of baskets kept the score tight as the first half wound to a close.
Wayne poured in another clutch three just before the buzzer to keep Durham’s lead afloat, 33-34.
In the third quarter, the Palatinates started off strong, with Ottewill-Soulsby’s deep two-pointer putting the away side up 33-36.
Justinak was able to reply with an elbow jump shot off a powerful drive inside, bringing the Eagles within four points.
Despite the Eagles’ efforts to contain Ottewill-Soulsby, the astute scorer eased past three Newcastle bodies for a layup, giving Durham a four-point lead.
Clasen proved she could get it done from close, as she scrambled intently for an offensive rebound, before going up over two Palatinates defenders for a crucial two points.
The intense defence from both sides kept the game a nail-biter, but another left-handed layup from Ottewill-Soulsby gave Durham a 47-49 lead heading into the final quarter.
Fourth quarter drama began with a massive three-point shot from Lowe, adding to the tally of lead changes.
But Durham were not deterred, with Eliza Brault and Wayne both hitting crucial buckets to keep their team within reach of Newcastle.
However, it was Lewis who shone in the final period. The commanding forward hit consecutive baskets, crashing through the Durham defence with great footwork, allowing Newcastle to gain a significant grip on the game.
Newcastle held firm as Durham struggled to generate space to knock down three-point efforts, with the Eagles holding on to a 72-67 advantage, down to the final buzzer.
The Sevenoaks Suns claimed a 68-54 victory over the Oaklands Wolves.
The hosts were propelled to victory by a dominant performance from forward Brittany Hodges, who was named the game’s most valuable player for her 18-point, 13-rebound display off the bench.
Despite the Wolves opening the scoring with a triple from Jorjah Smith, the Suns soon took control of the game, thanks to back-to-back threes from Janice Monakana and a layup from Renee Busch.
The Suns extended their two-point first quarter lead, as Hodges turned up the heat on the attacking front, proving to be a handful for the Oaklands defence.
Judit Fritz also made valuable contributions, scoring four consecutive points, as the Suns went into halftime with a 40-29 lead.
The Wolves showed glimpses of a comeback in the third quarter, reducing the deficit to single digits with some eye-catching shooting from Grace George and Eva Karasaite.
However, the Suns were quickly back to business, with Hodges and Monakana combining for crucial baskets to extend their lead back to double digits, once again, 55-45.
The Suns dominance endured into the final quarter, holding the Wolves to just nine points.
Although the Wolves managed to end the game on a positive note, with a late scoring spree, it was not enough to overcome the Suns’ well-rounded performance.
Sevenoaks Suns produced a solid team display, with Hodges leading from the front, to secure an impressive 14-point victory.